How to use your Apple Watch to unlock your Mac

Photo by Victoria Song / The Verge

It was a lifesaver for anyone wearing a mask during the Pandemic when Apple introduced the ability to unlock the iPhones with an Apple Watch. The feature is not limited to your phone. You can use your Apple Watch to approve app requests.

Apple decided to apply the feature to the iPhone, but it was already in Macs. If you've just bought a shiny new Apple Watch or are a recent convert to Apple, you may not have heard of it.

Prepare your Mac

To get started, you need to make sure your devices are compatible. It is recommended that your Mac be a model from mid-2013 or later. You can check to make sure.

• Click the Apple icon in the top-right corner of your screen
• Select About This Mac to see what year your Mac is from
• If you’re still unsure, select System Report in the About This Mac menu
• From there, click Network > Wi-Fi. Look in the Interfaces category to see whether Auto Unlock is supported.

One more thing to do is make sure your Mac is compatible.

• Make sure that Bluetooth and Wi-Fi are enabled. The feature won’t work if you’ve only got one turned on and not the other.

Set up your Watch

Photo by Victoria Song / The Verge

Make sure you use the same Apple ID for both your watch and Mac. You can check out our guide if you don't know how.

Check the version of watchOS you are using. You can do this on your wrist.

• Navigate to Settings > General > About
• Make sure you’ve enabled two-factor authentication for your Apple ID

Now you are ready to set up your watch. If you are running watchOS 6 or earlier.

• Head to System Preferences on your Mac
• Click Security & Privacy
• Navigate to the General menu
• Select Allow Apple Watch to unlock your Mac

If you're running watchOS 7 or later, the steps are the same, but you need to use an Apple Watch password. You can do this in the Watch app on your phone, or on your wrist.

You should be able to wake up your computer by wearing your Apple Watch. No passwords needed!

Approve app requests

Screenshot: Victoria Song / The Verge

Users of watchOS 6 or later can approve app requests. You don't have to do anything extra when the feature is enabled. If an app requires verification, you will have to double-click the side button of your Apple Watch. There are requests like viewing passwords and approving app installations.

This feature is used by some Apple Watch apps. You can use this with 1Password.

Any problems?

If you are having issues with the unlocking feature, here are some additional tips.

• Make sure both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are enabled. If they are, try toggling them on and off.
• Restart your computer
• Make sure you’re not sharing your screen or using internet sharing. You can check to see this on your Mac in System Preferences > Sharing.
• If you’ve restarted your computer, keep in mind that you’ll still have to re-enter your password the first time you log in